Entitled "Pin Cushion," this is the third and most compelling tale in Clay McLeod Chapman's latest theatrical venture, The Pumpkin Pie Show in Big Top. Faux circus posters hang on the walls of the tiny Red Room Theater, signifying the carnival-themed stories that comprise the evening's performance. The posters depict some of the circus acts mentioned in the show, such as The Iron Jaw. There's also an image of the Pumpkin Pie Show house band, One Ring Zero, which provides musical underscoring and transitions. Oftentimes, the music has an appropriately carnivalesque flair.
Chapman has gained something of a cult following for his darkly comic monologues. In this performance, the author plays only two of his characters--the son of the circus's Fat Lady (who spends his time at the dunking booth, taunting customers into taking a shot at him) and a hired hand at the circus who is drawn in by the lure of an ethereal trapeze artist. Chapman's vocal intonation is more like that of a spoken word artist than an actor; his line delivery, while energetic and richly theatrical, tends to be very similar from piece to piece.
Niabi Caldwell, in "Pin Cushion"
The final act in Big Top is "Tummy Tamer," performed by Max Moore. The actor possesses enormously expressive eyes and an elastic face that is well-suited to this story, which features a lion tamer's head speaking from inside the stomach of the lion whom he had supposedly tamed. Unfortunately, despite Moore's frenetic energy, the piece is not as gripping as some of Chapman's other tales. Overall, in fact, this latest collection of Chapman stories lacks the punch of some of his previous shows. Nevertheless, the evening is still quite entertaining, and it's obvious that the cast takes delight in performing the material.
